


Lost in the sauce

by asinineAbbreviations



Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, Half Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware, Half-Life, John Dies at the End - David Wong
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Drugs, Gen, Guns, He/Themrey, Minor Violence, Nonbinary Character, Not Beta Read, References to Drugs, a terrible attempt to emulate david wongs writing somewhate, i wrote this all in one sitting with no plan beforehand so yknow.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:07:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26239843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asinineAbbreviations/pseuds/asinineAbbreviations
Summary: Benrey was in the middle of playing Skate 3 when his phone rang. It was a busted old thing, with cracks running through the screen from the amount of times they’d dropped it, but it still reliably blared his tinny Toxic ringtone whenever anyone deigned to contact him. Which was usually either his manager to tell him they weren’t needed on that day, their landlord to give them a final-final-final warning about the noise complaints she’d received, or one of his friends telling them to pick up the booze for whatever party was going on that night.There was the fourth kind of call, though. And that was usually when NOT TOMMY flashed up on caller ID.--There's a monster afoot.
Comments: 15
Kudos: 26





	Lost in the sauce

**Author's Note:**

> Yes i know i have several other fics to get back to and this is somehow even more niche than my tf/hlvrai crossovers. my brain is an untameable beast.

Benrey was in the middle of playing Skate 3 when his phone rang. It was a busted old thing, with cracks running through the screen from the amount of times they’d dropped it, but it still reliably blared his tinny  _ Toxic  _ ringtone whenever anyone deigned to contact him. Which was usually either his manager to tell him they weren’t needed on that day, their landlord to give them a final-final-final warning about the noise complaints she’d received, or one of his friends telling them to pick up the booze for whatever party was going on that night.

There was the fourth kind of call, though. And that was usually when NOT TOMMY flashed up on caller ID. Benrey paused their game, and flicked the answer button with a claw.

“Tommyyyyyy,” he said, grinning wide.

“Hi!” 

“What’s uh, what’s up? We got some - some spooky shit goin’ on?”

“Yeah, I got contacted by a - guy, called, Mr. Freeman, about some ‘freaky animals’ he keeps seeing in his house.”

Benrey frowned a little, and considered unpausing their game. “Are you sure this uh, Feeman dude isn’t just fucking. Mistaking opossums for monsters like that one old guy was?”

“N-Not when - Not when he also mentioned popping some weird pills at a party a few nights ago,” Tommy said. Weird pills, huh? 

Benrey looked over to their minifridge and slowly stood up from the couch, the controller clattering against the coffee table. They opened up the fridge and moved a can of Monster out to see the small container sitting at the back. Reaching forward and grasping it in his hand (it was cold - though to be fair, it probably would’ve still been cold even if Benrey hadn’t been keeping it there), they pulled it out and moved their mobile to be propped under their ear. After a few moments of annoyed grunting - damn child-proof lids - the top popped off to reveal… nothing. Great.

It took a second for Benrey to realise that Tommy was still talking to them. “Huh?” They mumbled. Tommy waited patiently for them to catch up to what he’d said. 

“Oh, yeah,” he replied. “In a uhhh. Hour right?”

“I’ll text you the address!”

“Nice. Tommy helpful moments.”

He hung up and replaced the Monster in the minifridge. A buzz, and his phone lit up with the address and directions to where that Freedude wanted to meet them. Luckily it was only a half-hour drive from where Benrey’s apartment was. He saved and quit, grabbed his jacket, double-checked to make sure the buckshot cartridges were in his pocket and that the shotgun  _ wasn’t  _ still leaning against the wall next to the door (Benrey didn’t want to have to try and throw shells at another monster. It didn’t go well last time) and left his apartment, walking down the scuffed stairs. After climbing into his tiny minimum-wage-bought car, Benrey loaded the directions onto the maps app on his phone and set off, not before adding the local Wendy’s as a stop. You need food if you’re going to investigate monsters after all.

About 45 minutes later, they pulled up in front of the house where Freemance had asked them to meet. Tommy wasn’t there yet - he could tell by the lack of bright yellow car and too-big dog. Glancing over the street, Benrey sipped obnoxiously loud on their milkshake. It seemed normal enough, small houses with cramped front yards and varying styles of SUVs parked in the driveways. The house that they’d parked in front of had a beaten-up sedan in front, and a somewhat unkempt lawn. A light was on in the front room, and Benrey could faintly make out a shadow - or several? - moving within.

He didn’t wait long until a familiar car parked in front of his. Tommy got out of his car, waving at Benrey, and gestured towards the house. They gave a thumbs up and joined him in walking towards the front door.

“I looked at the. The sauce container,” Benrey said, mumbling a little. “Nothing in there. Sad empty bottle.”

Tommy side-eyed him. “Why were you looking for it?” He asked. “It’s probably - probably a good idea if you don’t take anymore.”

“If fuckin’. Freeguy might’ve taken some I was thinking like, maybe there’s some popped in? But nah.”

“It’d be better for - it’d be better if no one else took it again.”

Benrey looked off to the side. “Fair does dude.”

Tommy reached up his hand, about to knock on the door, when a crash resounded from within.

“GET THE FUCK OFF ME,” someone yelled.

Bracing his shoulder, Tommy rammed into the door and broke it open. Damn, Benrey always forgot how fucking strong the dude was. They followed him in, readying the shotgun in his arms to blast whatever thing was in there.

A man, slightly taller than Benrey, chestnut hair streaked with grey pulled back into a ponytail, recoiled from the creature he’d managed to bat off himself. It let out a wet screeching noise as it collided with the floor, sliding along the wood before pulling itself quickly behind some furniture, leaving a thick trail of ooze behind it. The man, wild eyed, looked up at Tommy and Benrey. He held a kitchen knife in one hand and in the other - he didn’t have another hand.

“Mr - Mr. Freeman, right?” Tommy said, his pistol held loosely in his hand. The man nodded.

“Yeah, uh, you can call me Gordon - you’re Tommy, and Benrey?”

Tommy nodded as Benrey went towards the dresser the monster had slid behind. Its ‘blood’ was still hissing. He could hear his friend discussing something quickly with Gordon, but they were too focused to properly listen. They reached out a toe and bumped the piece of furniture, levelling their shotgun at potential points the thing could emerge. Nothing happened though, and their face screwed up into a frown.

“So - so it’s been creatures like, like the one just now?” Tommy was saying.

“Yeah, yeah. None of them - Well, not just like this one, but I’ve seen this one before, and it hadn’t attacked before but it seemed like it might, and-”

Gordon was cut off as, with a squelching cry, the creature leapt out from behind the dresser, launching itself at Tommy. It was a sickly pale colour, with what looked like a hundred spider-like legs dangling from its midsection, and a mouth that reminded Benrey of that sea monster from the pirate films he’d binged a while ago. Something bulging was hanging off its back(?).

Without missing a beat, Tommy unloaded three rounds into the thing. More liquid oozed from it as it let out yet another squeal. It skittered along the ground, dodging in between Tommy and Gordon’s legs, seemingly trying to escape past Benrey. Not a chance though as they swiftly aimed their shotgun and a loud BANG momentarily deafened them. As they blinked and whacked their ears a few times to try and get rid of the ringing, he could see that whatever it had been was reduced to a smear on the floor.

The three men stood still for a moment, panting. Then Gordon haphazardly tossed his knife to the side, and said “Do you guys want a drink?”

A few minutes later, they’d all sat down with some whisky. Benrey had never actually had the stuff before, but he wasn’t one to turn down free booze, especially since it was on top of the payment they’d been promised. Tommy didn’t usually like to take people’s money for helping them, but Benrey honestly appreciated the extra dollars in their coffers. They took a sip of the whisky and tried to withhold a wince, but judging by the slight snort they heard from Gordon, it wasn’t that effective.

“So…,” Gordon said, twiddling his fingers a little. “What the fuck was that?”

“I - I’m not sure Mr. Freeman,” Tommy replied. “I’ve, Benrey and I have seen ones like - similar to it before, but I’m not sure what it’s called.”

“‘Sa monster,” Benrey said, sticking their tongue out to see if the whisky tasted better when you only had a little. It didn’t. “Y’don’t really uh, need to fuckin like. Classify it or anything.”

“Where did it come from? I’m fairly certain my house wasn’t infested by bizarre shits like that last week!”

“Didn’t come from nowhere. They’ve always been around, jus’ now you can see them. Like us.” Benrey grinned at Gordon, who paled. Whether it was from their words or from their teeth - a side-effect from the first time they’d had the sauce - he couldn’t exactly tell.

“Then -  _ why  _ can I see them now?!” Gordon exclaimed, knuckles white as he gripped his glass particularly hard.

Tommy piped up. “You uh, you said you took some - some weird drugs at a party the other night?”

“I don’t see how taking some fucked-up Molly gave me the ability to see monsters.”

“Ha! Gordon Freeman doin’ drugs. Gonna have to uh, report you to the police for this one.” Benrey leered at him. Gordon shot him A Look.

“Dude. You look like you’re stoned.”

Dragging a hand down his face, Tommy sighed. “Mr. Freeman, we - I think that you might have taken something… a bit different.”

Gordon was on edge suddenly. “How so?”

“When you took them, did you feel - did you feel calm, or - or like you knew what to do? Or that you felt you were passing through time and space or something similar?”

“Ecstasy tends to do that to you - look,” Gordon stood up, “I appreciate the help, but - time-travelling drugs are a  _ bit  _ out of my comfort zone here.”

“Soy sauce.” Benrey interrupted. Both the men looked at him. “That’s uh, the name I came up with. ‘Cause it looks like soy sauce. Tastes like shit though. The main effects let you basically do whatever the hell you want for a while, but the. The side-effects last forever.”

The ponytailed man paused. “The side effects being?”

Benrey spread their arms. “Seeing all this shit. Sorry dude, it’s too late. Taking it’s a permanent gig. These dudes will be after and around you for the rest of your life. Tommy’s smart as shit about this stuff, you should uh. Listen to him.”

Gordon slowly looked at Tommy, who nodded. “Yeah! You may, you may not remember - that does happen sometimes - but taking soy sauce lets you do, uh, reality bending things?” He seemed to phrase that last part as a question. “The first, when I first took it I made my dog immortal.”

“You. Made your dog immortal?” Gordon deadpanned.

“Sunkist is the shit, lol,” Benrey said. They pronounced it el-oh-el. “I fuckin. Grew like 20 stories tall and almost fell through the world at one point. Shit was kinda dope.”

Taking a deep breath, Gordon pressed his hand to his temple. “Look, I - I believe you about the monsters and shit. I think - I just need to go to sleep, honestly. It’s been a long couple of days.” He glanced at them. “You can stay - the couch is a pullout if you want. It’s pretty late and we’ve all had a drink, so if you don’t want to drive back, you know.”

“Hell yeah,” Benrey grinned. “Sleepover at Feetman’s house.”

“Don’t - call me that.”

“Sure, Mr. Freeman!” Tommy said, ignoring that whole exchange. He was pretty good at avoiding awkward social situations, Benrey noted. Maybe he could teach them some time. “We can, uh - we could maybe talk more about this in the morning?”

“Alright,” Gordon said, a tired smile gracing his face. “I’ll go get a duvet or something for you two - and,” he looked down at the smear on the floor, “- and I’ll get some wipes so it doesn’t stink of - God, what is that?”

“Iiiiii think it’s,” Benrey sniffed, “Tar? That’s gonna be hell to get out.”

“Great. And also, you busted my door down.”

“O-oh!” Tommy exclaimed. “I can fix that if you want!”

“I mean, yes, I would like to have a working front door. But I guess we can sort it all out in the morning. Just - I think I’m just going to go get a duvet, and then pass out on my bed honestly.”

Benrey idly scratched their noise. “I’ll keep an eye out. Make sure no, uh, no fail robbers try to break in.”

“Thanks man,” Gordon said. “And thanks for helping out with that - whatever it was. I’d probably be dead if you guys hadn’t gotten here.”

Benrey flashed a thumbs up at him, feeling exhaustion overtake them. He had stayed up pretty late last night, and only had a few hours of sleep before resuming his Skate 3 100% grind, and it seemed the lost time was catching up with him. Tommy stretched, unsuccessfully suppressing a yawn.

“You’re welcome, Mr. Freeman!”

Later, after Tommy and him had gotten cosy in the pullout bed - they were never against sleeping with a homie - Benrey quietly checked his friend’s breathing. It was a steady, sleeping pattern. They glanced up over the covers, night-eyes scanning for any movement from Gordos or anyone who might’ve gotten the ‘bright’ idea to sneak in. Nothing. Quietly, they reached in a pocket and pulled out a small, chilled container. Struggling with it for a moment - damn child-proof lids - he pried it open.

Inside were two small ink-black pills. 

**Author's Note:**

> i am also aware that some of this doesnt make sense without jdate knowledge so this is an order: read the jdate series. theres a eye-lazer-shooting jesus painting in the second book. its worth it


End file.
